


Give Me a Reason

by xingdom



Series: Awkward Prompto and Demisexual Ignis [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Controlling Behavior, Demisexual!Ignis, Emotional Manipulation, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining, Promnis Week 2018, brotherhood era, the relationship doesn't quite get to the level of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 01:05:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13493598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xingdom/pseuds/xingdom
Summary: A chronically low-self esteem has Prompto falling for the first guy who sincerely seems to like him. But things go bad. Quickly.For Promnis Week 2018





	Give Me a Reason

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a 4k oneshot for Promnis Week 2018, but it's almost twice that??
> 
> Kinda named after a P!nk song because I'm sappy like that.

Being an overweight child can chip at a person’s self-esteem. Even though Prompto’s got his overly confident personality down to a tee, he tends to obsess over small comments. It can be as simple as Noctis teasing him for stealing food from his lunchbox. Noctis forgets it almost as soon as he says it, but it leads to a lost appetite for the rest of the day. It doesn’t even have to be a comment related to his eating habits. Anything that seems like a slight consumes his mind until he can find a way to fix it.

 

So, it should come as no surprise that he’s easily wooed by the first person who compliments him. He’s known for a while that he’s attracted to both girls and boys. After all, his initial desire to be friends with Noctis wasn’t completely platonic. His crush faded after getting to know the prince though; Noctis is a little too dramatic for his liking, but the friendship stayed strong. But the barista with the warm brown eyes and long, dark brown hair is charming and handsome and makes Prompto forget all his words.

 

Noctis sniggers at him as he stutters out his order and actually forgets his own name for a moment when he’s asked for it. The barista smiles softly and write the teen’s name on the cup. “I’m Diruo,” he says, even though it’s written on his nametag, but _oh gods, his voice is as handsome as he is_. The man, Diruo, pauses and scribbles something else on the cup. “You have a really nice name, Prompto. Give me a call.” Prompto has to reach out and grab something before his legs give up and his hand happens to grip Ignis' wrist. The young retainer is standing directly behind them to charge the coffees onto his credit card, and he jumps at the sudden contact. Prompto ignores it and grips Ignis’s entire arm.

 

“Y-yeah! I will!” He suddenly doesn’t know what to do with his body and awkwardly bows to the amused barista. Prompto releases Ignis’ arm and pulls Noctis outside before he can order his drink, leaving the young advisor to pay and retrieve Prompto’s drink.

 

Noctis’s teasing intensifies once they’re outside. Prompto suddenly feels mortified at his behavior and crouches down and hides his face in his hands. He swears to himself that he’ll never call the cute barista. How could he after that embarrassing display?

 

But life is weird. Prompto impulsively texts the number an hour later and by the end of the night, he has his first date.

* * *

Diruo is the smartest person Prompto has ever known, besides Ignis. He learns that the barista is just a year older than him but already in his second year of university due to earning credits during high school. The way Diruo speaks immediately draws him in and lights a desire to measure up to this perfect guy. 

 

Just the way Diruo describes his major has Prompto’s mind reeling and he’s sure the confusion on his face is obvious. Diruo just lets out a low laugh. “Should I simplify things? Bring it down to your level?” Prompto frowns a little. The words are kind of… condescending, but Diruo looks sincere, like he wants someone to hold as much interest as he has in his major.

 

“Sorry… I-I just don’t get to hear about anything so awesome at school. High schooler and all…”

 

Diruo shrugs. “It’s to be expected. I guess, we’ll just have to hang out a little more so I explain it to you.” And that’s a suggestion Prompto’s all too eager to agree with. He feels Diruo is way out of his league, so if he’s willing to spend time together, that’s not something he can pass on.

 

So Diruo takes him a few dates. Prompto had tried to arrange a date himself, but Diruo didn’t seem to enjoy hanging on the arcade too much. It’s a little too childish for him, he explains, and it makes sense. Diruo takes him to see movies, eat at niche restaurants, and even sneaks Prompto into a college bar.

 

The only flaw Prompto can see in the other man is his tendency to talk down to Prompto. When Prompto points it out in a joking manner, Diruo explains away by saying he’s so used to having to overexplain himself, that it naturally found its way into his normal speech. It’s a little pretentious, but Prompto tries not to mind it too much since Diruo’s smart enough to have skipped an entire year in university. There’s no doubt his knowledge is more complex than Prompto’s.

 

But it **does** bothers him. And whenever he brings it up Diruo says he doesn’t mean to, but it doesn’t seem like he’s doing anything to change it. If it only came up when talking about higher level education, it wouldn’t bother him so much. However, Diruo speaks expertly about _everything_. Prompto says he likes a movie; Diruo gives reasons why it missed its message. Prompto says he likes to run; Diruo says he read that jogging puts way too much strain on a person’s knees. Prompto talks about photography; Diruo gives him unsolicited advice on how to improve his photos.

 

It’s as if everything Prompto does is immature and wrong. Even if Prompto feels confident about a particular topic, Diruo will poke holes in his view. He says that he naturally feels he has to play ‘devil’s advocate’ to help strengthen a person’s argument, but Prompto doesn’t want to feel like every conversation is a debate.

 

It eats at him. 

 

Eventually he just stops trying to express his opinion. Diruo’s opinion is always better.

* * *

Prompto sighs as he pulls on his sweater. He hates how home, once his safe haven, has become a place where he feels so suffocated. Diruo has constantly expressed how claustrophobic the dorms could be with his roommate always hanging around and effectively spends 75 percent of his free time at Prompto’s house. Somehow Prompto’s boyfriend misses the irony in the situation. But bringing it up is sure to just annoy Diruo, which will result in a fight he doesn’t want to deal with.

 

This evening is one of those night where Diruo has taken over the living area, television blaring with his laptop perched in his lap. Supposedly, he’s typing up a paper that’s due the next night, but he mostly appears to be flipping through the channels. Prompto tried earlier to curl up next to him, but Diruo had quickly let Prompto know how distracting he was being. So, he decided to clean the kitchen up a bit, but apparently _that_ was also distracting. He retires to his room to work on his own homework, but being confined to his room makes him feel anxious. Going out for a while seems to be the best option.

 

When he exits his room and quietly pads to the front door, he hears his boyfriend shifting and turns to look at him. “Where are you going?” Diruo’s eyebrows are slightly knitted together and the corner of his lips are downturned.

 

“Um, well, I didn’t want to bother you, so…” He hates the way he feels guilty for just leaving his own fucking apartment.

 

“That’s not what I asked you.” His voice is cold.

 

Prompto absentmindedly tugs at his wristband. “I, uhm, haven’t really figured that part out yet?” He nervously takes a step back towards the entrance where his shoes are waiting. “Maybe just a short walk. Or maybe I’ll go see what Noctis is up to?”

 

“I’m sure the _Prince of Lucis_ ,” he bites out “is a little too busy for you to just drop in.”

 

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not going over to his place for sure. I’ll call him before I show up.”

 

Diruo rolls his eyes and grips Prompto’s upper arm. It’s not a painful hold, but it’s firm enough where it feels a little commanding. “Just stay home tonight. You have school tomorrow. You’ll see him then.” He’s pulled a few steps away from the front door.

 

Prompto lets himself be guided back to the couch. Diruo uses his arm to make Prompto sit and releases his hold to grab his laptop and sit back down. He rests his feet on the coffee table, even though he knows Prompto hates it. “I don’t want to bother you,” Prompto says quietly.

 

“You don’t bother me.” Diruo grabs his boyfriend’s hand and kisses his knuckles. His smile is kind and makes Prompto’s heart beat faster. He pushes back the urge to bring up the fact that Diruo explicitly said he was being bothersome; it’s not worth the fight.

 

Prompto smiles when Diruo wraps an arm around his waist and pulls him close. He still feels a bit suffocated, but it’ll pass. Hopefully.

* * *

Like catching a cold, the symptoms build up slowly until everything feels hazy and wrong.

 

Every single boy, and many girls, have been religiously playing King’s Knight for months. Diruo thinks the game is dumb and says no one in college is playing it, but Ignis and Gladio regularly join Prompto and Noctis for late-night battles. Usually, Gladio is the first to knock off for the night as he has his sister to care for, and Noctis falls asleep in the middle of a game, the only indication being his sudden inactivity which eventually leads to him disconnecting. Strangely enough, Ignis stays up pretty late to play with him. Ignis has commented before that his duties and schoolwork keep him up and King’s Knight is a nice break from it.

 

So, every night after completing his homework, he lounges on the couch and plays King’s Knight (with headphones, of course). When Diruo’s in a good mood, he pulls Prompto’s feet into his lap while he reads for class. But lately, it seems like something has soured his mood because he’s constantly complaining about Prompto’s choice in entertainment. It’s a frustrating topic. Since Ignis and Gladio graduated, he doesn’t see them often. Even more since he started dating Diruo. So it doesn’t seem fair that he can’t play a game with them while Diruo studies.

 

“It’s such a kid game. Why do you even like it?” Prompto doesn’t even look up from his phone. The annoyance is in his boyfriend’s tone is clear, and he feels himself getting annoyed that Diruo cares so much about it.

 

“Is it bothering you?” Prompto turns the volume down slightly but doesn’t pause his game. But his hands are suddenly empty as Diruo grabs his phone and his earbuds are snatched from his ears.

 

“Yeah, kinda.” _What the fuck?_ Prompto’s so shocked at his boyfriend’s action that he can’t even say anything to counter. He just stares at Diruo with lips slightly parted and his hands still raised as if he was still holding his phone. His boyfriend has a triumphant smirk on his face and stuffs the phone into his bag. “No phone when you’re with me, okay?” He winks and turns back to his book like what he just did was normal. And part of him wants to think that it is, Diruo is his first boyfriend after all, but he can’t imagine taking your partner’s phone is healthy.

 

The logical part of him wins over though. “We spend, like, _everyday_ together. What the _fuck_ , dude?”

 

Diruo frowns and pushes Prompto’s legs off his lap. “Do you not want to spend time with me?”

 

It always comes to this. Every time Prompto mentioned something that made him uncomfortable, Diruo always boils it down to it being a quality time issue. The argument just makes him tired, and he doesn’t even want to get into this again tonight. “Just… I’m tired. You can stay here if you want. I’m just tired.” He rises and quickly goes to his room, not waiting for a reply. By the grace of the Astrals, Diruo doesn’t come after him to argue more, but he doesn’t leave the apartment.

 

When Diruo comes to bed later, Prompto moves over to make room for him. He doesn’t get his phone back until Diruo leaves for work the next morning.

* * *

Prompto unwillingly falls into a new routine. Every time his boyfriend comes over or they go on a date, Prompto hands over his phone. Because he feels embarrassed by the situation, he explains it away to Noctis by saying he just wants to spend some uninterrupted time with his boyfriend. It helps that the few nights a week his boyfriend has to work, Prompto can play King’s Knight with him. But when Diruo does come over and Prompto’s phone is taken away, he spends the evening doing his homework, watching movies, or hiding away when Diruo thought he was being too annoying. 

 

He hates not having his phone on him. Even more so since the no-phone rule apparently doesn’t apply to Diruo. He considers just asking for his phone back, but he feels a little scared of what the answer is. If Diruo says no, what can he do?

 

But it’s been a couple of weeks into the new rules, and he feels so _bored_. Diruo’s studying for midterms, so he requires complete silence. Staying in his room feels like too much today. This is his apartment, and there’s no good reason he needs to lock himself away in his bedroom. The frustration finally gets to him and he stomps into the kitchen, where Diruo’s reading, and reaches into the older teen’s bag to take back his phone. Fuck him. He doesn’t pay the bill.

 

“What are you doing?” The grip on his forearm is tight. Shaking it off does not good and only makes Diruo hold on tighter until it starts to hurt. “I asked you a question.” Prompto looks up into his boyfriend’s no longer warm eyes. The look scares him and his initial reaction is to pull away more. He’s not expecting it when Diruo’s hold suddenly disappears and Prompto falls hard into the fridge. His phone clatters on the ground, and Diruo’s quick to snatch it up and slip it into his hoodie pocket. “Stop being dumb. Get ahead on your homework or something.”

 

Tears threaten to spill from Prompto’s eyes, but he pushes them back so he can get up and get away. He’s not sure where he’s going, but his brain is screaming at him to get out of the apartment. Maybe he can crash with Noctis for the night. But he can’t even do that because once he’s at his front door, he realizes his shoes aren’t there. He starts to panic. He always pulls them off right at the door.

 

“Di… where are my shoes.”

 

Surprisingly, Diruo has gone back to his schoolwork and barely glances over his boyfriend. “Oh, I put them away. I don’t like shoes cluttering the front. Why do you need them?”

 

“It doesn’t mater why!” He says, a little hysterically. The cabinet where he store his shoes is just the left of the door, so it’s easy enough to grab them, but he feels like he’s going crazy. The movement behind Prompto make his heart start pumping faster and he almost runs out the door barefoot, but his hands are shaking too much and he can only freeze when Diruo wraps his arms around his waist and pulls him back.

 

“I’m sorry you feel you need to leave, Prom. I just get stressed around midterms.” He places a well-intentioned kiss to Prompto’s neck. It usually makes his heart beat faster, but his fear has that covered and it just makes his stomach turn. “Stay here, okay?” The way he says it, though it’s phrased like a question, Diruo’s intonation conveys his seriousness. Prompto nods, but his mind is working.

* * *

Ignis is up late, working at the Citadel, when his phone starts to ring. The number is not one he recognizes, but it’s a local number so he answers. “Hello?”

 

“Iggy?” Ignis frowns. This has to be the first time Prompto has called him, but he’s not calling from the number he has saved. “Um, are you busy?” The younger teen’s voice seems strained.

 

Ignis looks down at the papers on his desk. Half of them need to be turned in the next morning, but he’s always had a soft spot for Noctis’s hyper friend. “Not at all. What’s the matter?”

 

There’s some shifting on the other line and for a second Ignis thinks Prompto has dropped the phone. “I, uhm, I don’t think my boyfriend will let me leave my apartment?” His voice is full of confusion and cracks at the end. Ignis has no idea how to answer and is stunned into silence for a second. “He took my phone, and I’m supposed to be ordering a pizza but… I dunno why I called, I’m sorry.”

 

The resignation in his voice is foreign and something in Ignis makes him determined to never hear him sound like that again. “Wait, Prompto. Do you need help?”

 

Prompto is silent for a while, and Ignis worries that the younger teen has hung up. But he speaks again in a much more tired and defeated tone. “Yeah… please.” Ignis is already rising to his feet and collecting the documents he needs when Prompto quickly add “Don’t tell Noct” and hangs up.

 

Unfortunately, it takes Ignis longer than he would like to get to Prompto’s apartment because of traffic. A normally 15-minute trip takes him nearly half an hour, and he grows worried with each passing second that Prompto’s in some sort of danger. Briefly, he considers calling the police, but he figures that Prompto wishes to deal with this as quietly as possible.

 

When he finally arrives at Prompto’s apartment, Ignis takes a moment to press his ear against the door to see if he can hear anything. Either the door is soundproof, or the inside is silent. Either way, it’s worrying. It’s not until after he presses the button does he realize he hasn’t yet come up with a way to help Prompto out the situation he’s in. But Ignis is an advisor for a good reason and thinks quickly on his feet.

 

The door swings open and there stands Prompto, an odd look gracing his features. Usually, Prompto greets Ignis with a huge smile and a side hug, but now he’s oddly reserved and grips the seams of his sweatpants. “Hey, Ignis. What’s up?” From the front door, Ignis can clearly see Diruo sitting in the kitchen working on a slice of pizza. They lock eyes for a moment, and Diruo’s expression isn't happy.

 

“I apologize for my sudden intrusion. However, were you aware of your Crownsguard training this evening? Gladio informed me of your absence and the fact you haven’t answered your phone.”

 

Prompto suddenly looks relieved and takes a deep breath before answering. “Was that tonight? Totally slipped my mind… Guess I should head down to meet him, huh?”

 

“You never told me you were training to be Crownsguard,” Diruo says slowly. And honestly, it’s something to be highly suspicious about considering what an honor becoming Crownsguard is. It’s not something you would hide from a boyfriend. But at the moment, Prompto is too anxious to get out than to think out an elaborate excuse.

 

He shrugs and opens the shoe cupboard to pull his shoes on. “Thought I had. Anyway, can’t let the crown down, right?” Even though it’s a cold night and even though he still hasn’t gotten his phone back, Prompto is quickly pushing past Ignis and lets the door swing closed behind him. He doesn’t stop walking when he’s in the hall, or at the stairs, or at the front of the building. Ignis quickly follows after he’s sure Diruo isn’t following and is met with the sight of Prompto squatting beside the car with his hands resting on top of his head and his arms hiding his face. As much as Ignis wants to ask questions, the most important thing is to get Prompto away from here before his boyfriend changes his mind and comes after them.

 

Going back to Noctis’s apartment is out of the question, assuming Prompto still doesn’t want him involved. That only leaves Ignis’s apartment, and with Ignis being the private person he is, the prospect makes him nervous. Noctis hasn’t even stepped foot there. But he supposes he shouldn’t be too nervous. Prompto doesn’t seem like the type to make anyone feel uncomfortable about his living space. The blonde teen always grows a little quieter when his own living situation comes up, so he’s unlikely to comment on how plain Ignis keeps his apartment at the citadel.

 

The main thing is that Ignis’ apartment is a safe place for Prompto to sleep for the night and maybe that’s all Ignis can give him for now.

* * *

The embarrassment sets in the next morning.

 

After leaving Prompto’s apartment, there’s not much conversation between them besides Ignis’s offer of spare pajamas and a meal. Prompto accepts the former but refuses the latter. Earlier he’d forced himself to eat a slice a pizza which his stomach was still trying to reject. All he really wants to do is sleep, and it doesn’t take him long to do so when Ignis offers his bed. He started to refuse, but Ignis insisted since he still had work to do. Prompto hesitantly takes the bed after this and is out soon after.

 

But once Prompto’s awake and his mind determines that he’s safe, he’s mortified. Mortified that he let things get so far with Diruo. Yeah, he’s getting out before anything too serious happens, but he feels things shouldn’t have even gotten this far. How could he let someone trap him in his own space? And somehow Ignis got dragged into it… When Diruo wouldn’t let him use his phone to order the pizza, he dialed the only number he knew by heart. Ignis’s phone number literally only contained two different numbers, so it was easy to memorize. Honestly, he wasn’t sure who else he could have called. Even if he had Noctis’s number memorized, the thought of him knowing is embarrassing. Ignis is safe, but oh gods, he took over his bed.

 

Prompto stumbles around as he changes into the clothes he wore the night before. If the early morning light streaming through the bedroom window is any indication, school starts in a few hours. Hopefully, he can get back in his apartment to change the door code, brush his teeth, and put on his uniform. If he’s fortunate, Diruo will have left his phone at the apartment. Maybe after school he’ll change his number.

 

 _Fuck_ , he shouldn’t have let things get this far.

 

But what’s happened has happened, and Prompto has to do his best to get through it. And he’ll do it with a smile on his face like he always does.

 

\--

 

While Prompto is exiting the bedroom, he sees Ignis entering the apartment, a plastic bag in his hand. The older teen doesn’t seem to realize that his guest is up as he calmly slips off his shoes and pads over to his couch. Laid over the back of it is a school uniform, and Ignis reaches into his plastic bag and takes out a travel toothbrush and toothpaste set. Carefully, he balances it on top of the uniform and looks up. 

 

The young advisor jumps and flushes slightly. “I was just preparing to wake you.”

 

Prompto nods dumbly and points at the uniform. “Did you go back to my apartment?”

 

“Actually,” Ignis’s face turns redder. “I still had my old school uniform in storage. The trousers may be a tad long, but it’s no trouble to pin them once you’ve tried them on. Would you like for me to get breakfast started while you try them on?”

 

Prompto walks over to pick up the uniform and toothbrush and shakes his head. “I’m not hungry. But thanks for the uniform, Iggy.” The thought of Ignis digging around just so Prompto can get to school makes him smile. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish Ignis’s official duties from his free time as the teen has always been very serious, but the way Ignis blushes tells Prompto that this is him being sincere. This is a friend helping another friend.

 

Ignis nods. “While you’re at school, would you like some assistance with temporary living arrangements?”

 

“No… I need to go back home. I mean, it’s my parent’s home so I can’t run away.” He sees the concern in Ignis’s expression. “I have a plan. I’m gonna change the door lock first. If he didn’t leave my phone, I gotta ask my parents for another one. But I might need a new number anyway.”

 

“Prompto,” Ignis starts slowly. “If he was… if he was hurting you, you sh-“

 

“It’s not like that.” Prompto clutches the toothbrush kit to his chest. “He never really hit me or anything. He just-“ His voice catches in his throat. “He’s not a good person.”

 

Ignis resists the urge to give the younger boy a hug. Prompto has always been very physically affectionate with everyone around him, so it may bring him some comfort. But Ignis has never known someone in… whatever kind of relationship Prompto had. Pressing for more information right now doesn’t seem like the best either. Ignis has no right to the details so he categorize what to call it. “Well… if ever feel you’re in some sort of danger, please do not hesitate to contact me.” Prompto gives an appreciative nod and smile. “But of course, if I discover you’ve been harmed, I’ll have no choice but to contact the authorities.”

 

“Y-yeah, that makes sense.” Prompto turns to walk towards the bathroom. After a few steps he spins back around. “And I’ll tell Noct. Just not yet. I want things to… I dunno, settle? Before I tell him.” He turns back towards the bathroom and pauses again. “Thank for your help, Iggy. I owe you… well, way more than one.”

 

When he finally pulls on the uniform, he starts to laugh. Ignis has a good few inches on him, so the uniform shirt and jacket fall mid-palm and the pants cover his feet. It feels oddly like playing dress up, but instead of feeling childish, it feels comforting. And for a little while he has a pure joyous moment as he examines himself in the mirror. Sure, life has to go soon. He has to get to school and start scrubbing Diruo out his life. But that can wait for now. Right now, he just wants to leave the bathroom to show off his impression of the advisor, now improved with clothes and a spare pair of Ignis’s glasses he finds on the bathroom counter.

* * *

Indeed, life goes on. However, even though Prompto had resigned himself to handling things by himself things, he find he never has to.

 

The first day he goes back to his apartment, it is luckily empty, so he changes the code first thing. He’s not so fortunate to find his phone though. What Diruo could possibly want with his phone, Prompto can’t fathom, but it doesn’t remain a problem very long. When Ignis picks them up from school that next day, he presents Prompto with a brand-new phone. Inspired by their lie, Ignis actually arranged for Prompto to begin Crownsguard training. It’s primarily self-defense, but it still means he needs an approved phone for security reasons. The training gives him a place to be after school. Until Diruo stops looking for him, he needs to spend his downtime in places he won’t look.

 

Oddly, he only comes across Diruo once after the final incident. Prompto spots him waiting outside the high school. It’s before he’s worked up the courage to tell Noctis why they’ve broken up, so he panics on how to keep the college student from seeing them. But it appears Ignis eagle eyes have already landed on the man, and when Prompto can’t delay Noctis any longer, he’s surprised to see Diruo’s gone. The advisor mumbles a low “Don’t worry about him” as he slides into the car next to Noctis.

 

Even after he finally tells Noctis, it’s easier to talk to Ignis about it. The young prince tends to be rash and suggests different kinds of torture each time Diruo is mentioned. It’s entertaining for a little while; he can’t deny he’s thought about some revenge. But mostly, it makes him sad. Prompto would never actually harm someone. Whether mentally or physically. And the worst thing to him is that because things never escalated to the police needing to be called, there’s no way to make sure Diruo won’t harm anyone else.

 

This is something he can never vent to Noctis, but Ignis listens to him patiently. Sometimes Prompto feels like he’s being annoying talking about it. All things considered, the relationship only lasted 5 months, but Ignis gives him no indication he’s tired of hearing about it. He just listens, and besides pulling the strings for the Crownsguard training, he doesn’t try to fix anything. Slowly, he finds that enjoys spending alone time with just Ignis whenever Noctis is busy.

 

But somewhere along the line, he starts to feel too eager to see Ignis. His heart starts to race every time Ignis smiles at him or invites him over after training. Every casual touch has him turning red and suddenly losing his words. He likes to imagine that Ignis also enjoys his company, but again, it’s pretty difficult to distinguish between what Ignis feels is his duty and what he does out of his own desires.

 

But after months of beating himself up for getting involved with Diruo and wallowing in self-pity, he’s feeling ready to let someone in again. Ignis had been nothing but kind to him from the day they met. Of course, it runs through his mind that Ignis pities him, but the older teen had never treated him like something fragile.

 

It’s… a gamble, he knows, to pursue Ignis. Prompto still couldn’t fathom why a college student would even show interest in him, nevermind the advisor to the future king. A too energetic high schooler with no filter doesn’t really seem like Ignis’s dream guy. Shit, he’s not sure if Ignis even _likes_ guys, but this thought comes way too late after Prompto has already spent the entire night before Lover’s Day packing a lunch box full of sweets. 

 

“This is dumb,” he mutters to himself. In his entire school life, he’s never concerned himself with Lover’s Day. He’s never received a confession nor has he given anything. Of course, Noctis receives gifts from nearly every girl at school, which are usually thrown out due to security concerns. Even Gladio and Ignis had admirers when they were in high school.

 

Sleep doesn’t come easily as he starts to berate himself for his plan. Ignis would never make fun of him for this display, but the older man might start to distance himself to avoid the awkwardness. Maybe he could play it off as a joke? But if he did that, would it just come off as mean joke? 

 

Prompto groans. He hates the mean voice in the back of his head that tells him he’s immature like Diruo told him. His mind constantly runs through all the mean things Diruo has said to him and just how true they are. By the time he’s been over everything and feels sufficiently shitty about himself, the sun’s coming back up and it’s time to drag himself out of bed and put his plan into action, no matter how much he’s convinced himself that it’s stupid.

 

He spends a good 20 minutes fussing over his hair, not sure whether he should go with his usual hairstyle or change it up for the day. In the end, he just goes for his usual style so he doesn’t have anything more to fret about. The uniform that he once thought made him look handsome feels childish when he stands in front of his bedroom mirror. It dampens his mood, and he almost leaves the lunchbox at home. But the tiny brave part of him tells him to take it, and he does even though it weighs a thousand pounds heavier than he remembers.

 

One of many good things about Ignis is his punctuality. He always arrives with Noctis exactly 15 minutes before homeroom. The advisor parks directly in front of the school and exits the car to let Noctis out and hand him his bag and lunch. Whenever Prompto spends the night and rides to school with them, Prompto will hold his hand up for a high-five, which Ignis returns with an amused smile.

 

Today, Prompto’s running a little behind schedule since he spent so much time on his hair, and Ignis is already returning to the driver’s seat when the school’s in view. Noctis gives his best friend a bewildered look as he rushes past him to knock on the front passenger window. “Iggy, wait!” 

 

Ignis rolls down the window and leans forward. “Is everything alright, Prompto?” The way his left eyebrow quirks upwards makes Prompto stutter for a moment.

 

“Uh…” Wait. What is he supposed to be doing? “Oh! Um, I… well it’s Lover’s Day, right?”

 

Ignis hums and nods. “I suppose so.”

 

“Yeah, so uh. I made this… for you?” He reaches through the window to set the lunchbox on the passenger seat. “I know it’s kinda dumb, but... I didn’t know how else to do this.” Oh man, he should have practiced this. “I’ve never-“

 

Fortunately, Noctis cuts off his rambling when he comes over to investigate. “What are you doing?”

 

Prompto yelps in an embarrassingly high-pitched voice and straightens up. “J-just having a little chat with, Iggy! We should get inside!” He grabs Noctis’s shoulders and spins him around to face the school. “Gotta learn fast!”

 

“…What?” The confused prince lets himself be pushed towards the school, and someone out there must be looking out for Prompto because Noctis is almost instantly swarmed by girls shoving their gifts into his hands. Prompto takes the opportunity to sneak away to his homeroom.

 

For a while he’s able to avoid Noctis since they’re in different classes, but Noctis seeks him out during breaks to interrogate him about Ignis. Luckily, the school girls are also seeking Noctis during breaks to give him gifts. Since Noctis is forbidden from accepting unscreened presents from the general public, he dumps them all on Prompto’s desk and mumbles that he can take whatever he wants. The girls standing in the doorway become sullen when none of their gifts are accepted and shuffle back to their own classrooms.

 

“Probably best to just throw all the food away,” Noctis comments. “Could be poisoned.” Poisoned food being a real danger blows Prompto’s mind, but he spies chocolate covered raisins and decides that potential death is a fair trade-off.

 

“Worth it,” Prompto declares, mouth already full of the sweet treat.

 

“So…” Noctis’s demeanor shifts slightly, and Prompto knows what he’s about to bring up.

 

“Can we talk about that at lunch? Please?”

 

Noctis stares at him intensively but appears to relent when he shrugs and takes his leave to return to his room. Prompto kinda hopes that the chocolate kills him before lunch. His luck isn’t _that_ great, though, and come lunch, Noctis wastes no time sitting across from Prompto and immediately demanding to know what went on earlier that morning.

 

“Well, I may have kinda confessed my love to him?” He immediately turns redder than he ever has in his life and stuffs his sandwich into his face.

 

“You… what?” The prince’s face is blank.

 

Prompto forces himself to swallow and groans. “Well, I didn’t say it exactly, but I gave him a lunchbox of chocolate and shit and _please_ don’t laugh at me. I kind of wanna hide in my bed forever.”

 

Noctis shakes his head. “Wasn’t gonna laugh. Just… a little perplexed.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Cuz it’s Specs.”

 

Prompto rolls his eyes. “What does that even mean?”

 

“I dunno. Just can’t imagine seeing him in that way.” The prince pulls a disgusted face.

 

“Because he’s practically your mom."

 

Noctis flicks a piece of chicken at Prompto. “He’s not my mom.”

 

“Who made your lunch?” Noctis shuts up. “But seriously, I don’t wanna make a big deal out of it. I don’t expect anything from it.”

 

“Specs is pretty married to his job,” Noctis admits. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen him interested in anyone. No idea when he would have the time.”

 

Prompto nods dejectedly and mindlessly tears his sandwich into smaller pieces. “Makes sense. It’s no big deal.”

 

They drop the topic as it’s only assisting in Prompto feeling more and more embarrassed. Noctis does his best to entertain with a story of how he managed to disarm Gladio during their last training session, and Prompto does his best to react accordingly. The whole situation with Ignis bums him out, and he’s wishing he could have just left things as they are.

 

“Am I annoying?”

 

Noctis frowns. “Why would you ask that?”

 

The blonde teen shoves his demolished sandwich pieces back into the plastic wrap. “I dunno. Guess I’ve heard it before and was wondering if other people saw it.”

 

“You know he was just saying shit to mess with your head, right?”

 

Prompto shrugs. “It’s not like he really said anything I didn’t already think myself.”

 

“Prom…” Noctis stops picking at his food fixes a stern gaze on his friend. For the first three weeks after Prompto broke up with Diruo, he let these kinds of self-deprecating comments slip out. Admittedly, he’s gotten better about it, but scars take time to heal.

 

“Sorry. I’m just not feeling super hot today.” He abruptly stands. “Anyway, Lover’s Day makes for good pictures. I’m gonna snap a few before the end of lunch.” If Noctis wants to say anything, he keeps it to himself and waves a hand as if to give him permission. Not that Prompto would ever listen to anything Noctis tells him.

 

Saying that Lover’s Day makes for good pictures isn't a lie. The expressions of a young couple exchanging gifts is one of the few purest moments of joy he can capture organically. However, this is the first Lover’s Day where he’s felt this lonely. A few months ago he thought he would have a significant other to share this day with. Today, he’s likely between two different heartbreaks. So taking pictures of happy couples doesn’t sound too appealing, but it’ll oddly be a good distraction.

 

Taking pictures eases his mind slightly for the rest of the day. Of course, he doesn’t limit himself to only couples. Scenery and landscapes have always been his favorite subject as they didn’t date photographs as well as people did. Prompto supposes spending the day taking pictures wouldn’t be too bad. Yeah, it would be nice to spend it with someone, but it’s not like he hasn’t been alone all this time.

 

Thursdays are usually one of his training days, but because of the holiday, Gladio has plans with his girlfriend and moved training back one day. It’s just as well though, as it decreases his chances of running into Ignis. He wasn’t really kidding about the whole wanting to hide in bed all day.

 

Once the school day finally ends, Prompto considers whether he should even seek Noctis out as usual. Ignis, ever on time, is sure to be in front of the school waiting, and because of where their classrooms are, Noctis always makes it outside before Prompto can. But he doesn’t want Ignis to think he’s hiding from him, no matter how true that may be. In the end, he decides he’ll be more mentally prepared for rejection after getting a good night’s sleep. His exhaustion is sure to win after feeling so anxious all day.

 

Prompto watches with a bit of envy as his classmates file out of the room with their various sweets and presents. In the past, he’s considered giving gifts to some of the girls he’s had crushes on. Hell, before Noctis became his friend, he wildly thought about giving him something. He’s even wished that someone would shyly approach him with something, but it’s never happened.

 

Most of the other kids have left before Prompto deems it more than enough time for Ignis and Noctis to leave. Collecting his bag and squeezing past the two boys who’re inexplicably throwing dry-erase erasers at each other, he exits the classroom with his hands shoved into his pockets and eyes glued to the floor.

 

The attention-getting throat clear Ignis emits isn’t even necessary as Prompto recognizes the shiny, black pair of cap-toe dress shoes Ignis is so fond of. Prompto’s head snaps up and he takes a step back in surprise. Ignis looks uncharacteristically uncomfortable standing in the halls of his old high school. His left hand quickly adjusts his glasses and cards through his hair which he’s been recently been styling pushed back off his forehead. “My apologizes for ambushing you outside your classroom.”

 

Prompto wants to fall to his knees and beg Ignis to wait a little bit longer to reject him, but he figures that would be quite a pathetic sight. Instead, he plasters a smile on his face and nervously rubs the back of his neck. “Nah, you’re good. So, what brings you to the glorious class 3-2 classroom?”

 

The corners of Ignis’s mouth twitch as if he’s suppressing a smile. “Yes, I wanted to return this to you.” He brings his right hand up to show the lunchbox Prompto presented him that morning and Prompto’s heart sinks. His smile falters for a moment, but he forces himself to give the older teen a tight-lipped smile and accepts his lunchbox. “Ah, I’m afraid that wasn’t phrased as well as it could have been.”

 

Prompto raises his eyebrows in confusion and tilts his head to the side.

 

“I wanted to return the lunchbox itself, but I’ve transferred the contents to a jar in my office.” Prompto thinks he’ll be sick if Ignis keeps taking him through this many highs and lows. He quickly unzips the lunchbox and confirms that, yes, it’s empty. Ignis even kept the deliberately, over-cheesy ‘roses are red’ poem Prompto left in there. He looks back up at Ignis who looks even more nervous. It’s a weird expression for the young advisor, but Prompto thinks he’s adorable. “I’m afraid I’m not too experienced with this sort of thing.” Their eyes lock. “This is the first time I’ve ever accepted anything like this,” he says slowly. “Do you understand?”

 

No matter how inappropriate it may be, Prompto can’t help himself and his arms have a mind of their own as they snake around Ignis’s middle. His hands cling to Ignis’s jacket and Prompto hides his face in the taller man’s chest until he can decide whether he wants to laugh or cry. In the end, he does a weird combination of both, leaving wet spots on Ignis’s button down. “It was the poem, right,” he manages to joke.

 

Ignis hums. “Ah, yes. ‘Roses are red, and you have four eyes. Please be my boyfriend, and I’ll be your sweetie pie.’ Can’t imagine how many hours you spent composing that.”

 

Prompto snickers and pulls away slightly. “What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic. I’ve got such a way with words. Let’s ignore the fact I’m pulling a low C in composition.” Before he loses this feeling of utter bliss and confidence, Prompto lifts himself on his toes to kiss Ignis. It’s not more than a peck, and it’s over before Ignis can even blink, but the advisor blushes hard all the same.

 

Ignis clears his throat and casts his eyes away. “I should make sure Noct hasn’t wandered too far. If you so choose, you can accompany us to Noct’s apartment, and perhaps after I complete my work…” He trails off, and as much as Prompto would love to hear what Ignis has in mind, he knows how new this is for him and just nods.

 

“I’ll order a pizza, and we can hang out, yeah?” Ignis nods in agreement and his express relaxes a little. “Buuuut, I think I’ll just walk home for now, and you can come over. I kinda told Noctis what I did, and well… you know how Noctis is.” For someone with such an uncaring presence, Noctis is super gossip-y. It may come from having such a small group of friends, but whatever the reason he’s super curious about his friend’s lives. Sometimes he could be a little too blunt with how he interrogates.

 

“Mmm, true. Very well, after I’ve finished all my duties, I’ll drop in.” Prompto’s whole body feels warm and even though his only romantic experience hurt him and chipped away at the little self-esteem he had, he’s pretty sure Ignis is the best thing for him. Concerned Ignis who immediately rushed to Prompto’s apartment once he was called. Caring Ignis who made sure Prompto felt safe. Understanding Ignis who listened to Prompto and didn’t try to step in and be a savior, just the support that Prompto needed.

 

“Prompto?”

 

The sudden seriousness of Ignis’s voice makes him nervous. “Yeah?”

 

“As I’ve stated, this is new territory for me… so, if I ever do or say something to make you feel unworthy of less deserving of respect-“ Prompto cuts Ignis off with another kiss then shyly buries his head back in the older teen’s chest.

 

“You won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> And then they have lots of sex and babies. :3
> 
>  
> 
> Diruo based on an ex. Fuck him :P
> 
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> 
> Also, tell me what you think! I'd like to get back into writing oneshots if this is received well.


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